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Drek'Thar
Drek'Thar is the chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan, and the General of the Frostwolf armies in Alterac Valley. He is consistently ranked as the most dangerous creature in terms of players killed http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/toplist/index.html?en,killedby. Early History Little is known of Drek'Thar's early life beyond the fact that he was an apprentice shaman to the Frostwolf far seer, Mother Kashur, for many years on Draenor. When Kashur was killed in a hunting accident, Drek'Thar became the senior Frostwolf shaman. Unlike his chieftain, Durotan, Drek'Thar seemed willing to accept Ner'zhul's announcement (influenced by Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, the right hand of the Fallen Titan, Sargeras) that the draenei were plotting against them. When the elements abandoned the orcs following the beginnings of their genocidal campaign, Drek'Thar and the other shaman of the orcish race followed the evil Gul'dan and his apprentices from the Blackrock Clan into the path of the warlock. With the Horde's opinion turning against Durotan and the Frostwolves for his public defiance of Warchief Blackhand and his refusal to partake of the Blood of Mannoroth - or allow any of his clan to do so - the Frostwolves were eventually exiled into the Alterac Mountains. It was sometime during this exile that Drek'Thar renounced the way of the warlock and rediscovered the path of the shaman. With the aid of the elements and a little patience, Drek'Thar managed to convince the white wolves of Alterac to come to their aid. Following the birth of their son, who would later be known as Thrall, Durotan and Draka travelled to the encampment to speak with Durotan's old comrade Orgrim Doomhammer, now Warchief and chieftain of the Blackrock Clan after assassinating Blackhand, where they convinced him of Gul'dan's treachery. Durotan and Draka were betrayed by the warrior Orgrim assigned to lead them to safety, and Thrall was believed to have died with them. With Durotan and his heir gone, Drek'Thar assumed the chieftaincy of the Frostwolves. Training the Future Warchief Twenty years later, the now-blind but powerful Farseer discovered Thrall had been found alive while attempting to search for his clan. Giving the torn swaddling cloth he had kept since he was found to Drek'Thar, the Farseer revealed that Thrall was the heir of Durotan - and the Spirit of Fire revealed to him at that first meeting that Thrall had potential as a shaman. After testing Thrall's humility as well as his pride - both qualities necessary for those who take the path of the shaman, he told the younger orc - Drek'Thar took the son of Durotan under his wing and began to train him in the ways of the spirits. Shortly before he began Thrall's initiation, Drek'Thar sent his white wolf companion, Wise-ear, to locate the nomadic Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer and lead him to the Frostwolf camp. Doomhammer arrived as a cloaked stranger who spoke contemptuously of any attempts to free the orcs in captivity or fighting the humans. Enraged, Thrall challenged him to combat and defeated him; it was then that Doomhammer revealed his identity, and Drek'Thar revealed that he had set this confrontation up in order to convince Doomhammer to take Thrall under his wing when the Frostwolves united with the Warsong Clan to liberate the encampments. During the battle for the fifth encampment - now the outpost of Hammerfall - both Doomhammer and Drek'Thar's old companion, Wise-ear, fell in battle. Drek'Thar convinced Thrall to put on Doomhammer's black plate armor to show that the Horde had a new Warchief. His advice proved to be sound, and the new Horde rallied behind their new leader. After the fall of Durnholde Keep, Drek'Thar travelled across the sea with Thrall to the rediscovered lands of Kalimdor, and resided for a time in the new orcish capital of Orgrimmar. After the Third War Drek'Thar helped Thrall found the kingdom of Durotar and its capital of Orgrimmar, and conducted many magical experiments in the surrounding landscape. Drek'Thar was trying to create a potion which required shimmerweed, a rare herb found only in Thunder Ridge (named so for the thunder lizards which lived there). The Thunder Lizards had become increasingly hostile of late, so when Rexxar arrived in Orgrimmar, Drek'Thar instructed him to retrieve six bushels of shimmerweed. Rexxar did so and Drek'Thar rewarded him. However, Drek'Thar was puzzled by the increasing hostility of the thunder lizards, and assumed that perhaps there was an outside force behind it. Drek'Thar went to investigate himself, and found that the behaviour Rexxar had reported was true. At Thrall's request, Rexxar joined Drek'Thar in Thunder Ridge and collected several Thunder Lizard eggs to study. Upon further investigation, they found that humans had begun to harvest lumber throughout the region, and the upset ecology was driving the thunder lizards mad. Rexxar wanted to level the lumber mill, but Drek'Thar stopped him, saying that it would breach the non-aggression pact signed by Thrall. Instead, they had to kill the raging beasts despite Rexxar's reservations. Present Day Shortly after Rexxar departed to wander the wilds of Kalimdor, Drek'Thar returned to the Frostwolf lands in Alterac Valley, where he continues to lead the Frostwolf Clan from the fortress of Frostwolf Keep. He leads the Horde and Frostwolves in the defense of Alterac Valley against the Stormpike Guard, who encroach on the northern edge of of the valley. The Stormpike Guard is a group of dwarven excavators from the Stormpike clan, a clan that has lived in the "mountains of Alterac" for years, who also "defend fiercely against the trolls and orcs" who they believe have "invaded the area". As well as a lack of Horde players (a minimum of 10 players must be in Alterac Valley to keep the battle from expiring, when the time expires, the general of the side lacking sufficient players "dies" and the other team wins), Drek'Thar's death will indicate the loss of a match, just as the lack of Alliance players or the death of Vanndar Stormpike signal victory for the Horde in that match. To this day, he carries the guilt of his actions during the early days of the Horde, and has never forgiven himself. Abilities Drek'Thar in Alterac Valley is a formidable opponent who can easily tear apart an unprepared Alliance force, especially with dedicated Horde defenders. He has two guard wolves, Drakan and Duros that respawn every time you pull Drek'Thar outside of his bunker, if they are not alive when he returns. Unlike other shamans (before patch 2.0), he also dual-wields. * Sweeping Strikes * Cleave * Whirlwind * AOE knockdown * Windfury weapon (A fairly big chance of getting 2 extra attacks upon a hit.) * Stormstrike Strategy Contrary to popular myth, his guard dogs do not respawn when looted. They respawn when Drek is reset. Many believe that pulling the dogs outside and killing them will prevent having to deal with them on the Drek fight itself, but usually the whole raid stands outside the entrance to his keep when fighting the dogs. So he runs back in and his dogs respawn. The best way is to just rush in and tank him while a few of the attackers kill his dogs. That way you only deal with the dogs once. Drek'Thar is relatively easy to tank by a single player, as he does not have any abilities that drop aggro. It is merely necessary to assure constant healing. Quotes *''"They are watching. They must not lose heart. You must put on the armor at once, and show them they have a new chieftain."'' -to Thrall, shortly after the death of Orgrim Doomhammer, Lord of the Clans In Alterac Valley *''Stormpike filth! In my keep?! Slay them all!'' *''You seek to draw the General of the Frostwolf legion out of his fortress? PREPOSTEROUS!'' *''Stormpike weaklings, face me in my fortress - if you dare!'' *''Your blows are slowed by the cold, I think!'' *''Today you will meet your ancestors!'' *''If you will not leave on your own, the Frostwolves will force you out!'' *''You cannot defeat the Frostwolf clan!'' *''You are no match for the might of the Horde!'' Sources *Lunarfalls.com *''Lord of the Clans'' and Rise of the Horde by Christie Golden *Top List Category:Orcs Category:Horde NPCs Category:Battleground:Alterac Valley